Bars Opening Early for St. Patrick's Day

Get at early start on your drinking at Irish Whiskey, which opens at 9 on Saturday. Photographs by Jeff Martin.

Bayou Bakery will open its patio for the first time at 8 AM Saturday and serve up Irish specials including a corned beef po’ boy all day. There will also be a crawfish boil beginning at 2 and live music beginning at 6:30. All day long, lucky diners who find gold coins on the patio will be able to turn them in for prizes (think $2 pints, free beignets, and $8 pitchers).

Cafe Dupontwill serve brunch beginning at 7 AM, with Taste of Ireland specials such as bangers and mash for $15, in addition to the standard food and cocktail offerings. When Bar Dupont, also in the Hotel Dupont, opens at 11:30, pop over for $10 specialty cocktails like the Peppermint Patrick, made with Jim Beam, caramel Bailey’s, crème de menthe, and cream.

Capitol City Brewing Company’stwo locations will each tap kegs of house-made Irish red ale and Irish dry stout on Saturday; pints will go for $4. The festivities start at 11 with a corned-beef-and-cabbage lunch special, among other things, running all day.

The staff at Eamonn’s has created a signature cocktail, the Eamonn’s Sour Irish, made with Irish red lemonade and Powers Irish whiskey, in honor of the big day. The place will open early, around 11, to offer this and its standard fish and chips, Guinness, and Smithwick’s. Hours may also stay be extended, so stopping by for round two at midnight is not out of the question.

Irish Whiskey Public House will open at 9 AM for brunch (instead of the usual 11) and offer Irish fare, like corned beef hash and Irish soda bread French toast for $7 to $13. There will be a Pot of Gold cash giveaway at 1 PM, and anyone who shows up before noon can snag a free gift bag.

Logan Tavern’sparty begins at 11 AM and runs until midnight, with food specials for breakfast, dinner, and dessert, and drinks such as the Token Irishman (Jameson, mint, and ginger syrup) and the Sexy Leprechaun (Stoli Vanilla, Bailey’s, crème de menthe, and a chocolate swirl) all day. Also on offer: free Green Stoly Doly shots for diners dressed in green.

At Mad Foxin Falls Church, a brand new St. James Irish dry stout will be tapped at 11 AM on the dot, when the brewpub opens. Another new brew, the Rock Star Irish red ale, will debut at 2, and Irish food specials like shepherd’s pie will be available all day.

P.J. Clarke’s will open at 8 AM Saturday for a kegs and eggs brunch (half off for law enforcement officers and runners of the Rock-n-Roll Marathon/Half-Marathon). Drink specials will include $4 Guinness, Harp, and Bass and $6 Jameson and Bushmills shots, and a raffle to support the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will send someone home with his-and-hers Vespa scooters.